The Robotic Link
by Dark Murcielago
Summary: Having suffered a traumatic event, Charlie Glyde refuses to leave his home. However, he creates a link between him and the outside world, and has been observing others ever since. But when curiosity clouds his judgement and he ends up losing that link, he gets involved in many different scenarios that change his view of the world. Male!OCx?, Alternate AA:DD
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: Why Did I Do That?**_

_**Author's Note: This idea came to me while finishing Dual Destinies... I have no clue how this is gonna turn out but hopefully it'll please people... It'll be in the 1st person since it's slightly easier for me to write.**_

_**This going to be my take on the events of Dual Destinies, and some cases may be very different than the game. Also, it would mainly focus on the interactions between the characters when they're not working on a case. I know it's not like what most the archive contains, but I've wanted to write this for quite a while.**_

_**This shall mark my second attempt at an OC, and again I will try my best for him not to be an embodiment of perfection. I doubt that that will happen, but one can never be too sure.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney.**_

~...~

A couple secretly making out in an alley...

A bunch of delinquents gathering behind said alley...

Kids running around with their parents behind them...

These were all sights I was used to seeing from the top of the trees in People Park. That's about all I CAN do nowadays. Observing is what I do best, and it helps calm me down. But, these days, my view has been quite repetitive.

Deciding it was to time to move to the next location, I flapped my wings and flew towards the buildings near the park. My routine consisted of a stay in people's park, followed by a flight around the Kitaki Mansion and finally a short stay at the Wright Anything Agency. I would then go to the grocery store under my building and get anything I may need and then finally return to my apartment.

The Kitaki's are somewhat linear in their activities. It usually involved the heir, Wocky, running around picking fights with other Gangs and then coming back to complain to his mother about how boring everything is. It was like an endless cycle. Nevertheless, it was amusing to watch Wocky angrily rant. Plum Kitaki just stood there and listened to her son whine like a 4 year old. I never once saw her annoyed at her son's antics, but I guess that's what mothers do. His father, however, was the silent type. He looked really scary with his seemingly always closed eyes. But imagine my surprise when I saw him open them by chance. They were like puppy dog eyes, not at all matching with his status as the Kitaki Boss.

My final destination was the Wright Anything Agency. Not much happens here either since it was basically just three people waiting for something to happen. It consisted of an attorney, a pianist, and a young magician. I find her magic tricks to be astonishing, so that helps lift my mood every day. The attorney, who goes by the name of Apollo Justice, can be described with one word, and that is loud. Every day I pass by; I can hear him yelling at the top of his lungs. I could've sworn that every time I pass, I find a new window that broke. If he doesn't have a client, he usually tags along with the magician, Trucy. But if he does, he's usually out investigating or busy in the courthouse. The final member was former defence attorney Phoenix Wright. Supposedly, back in the day, he was a hot-shot lawyer, but something caused him to be disbarred. I heard that fiasco was cleared up and he was innocent, but he's still working as a pianist in some Russian restaurant. This is why I don't really stay that long here, unless something piques my interest. And to wrap it, I fly back to my apartment building, which ironically, is close to the agency.

Since this may be slightly confusing, allow me to explain. No, I am not a bird that enjoys stalking people. I'm a guy that's too scared to leave his home. The landlord, who is also the owner of the store in the apartment, was surprisingly understanding to my situation. He is pretty much the only person who knows who I am. See, I'm quite the secluded person. I have never set foot outside my door ever since a certain incident that occurred a year ago.

But, even I understand that I can't live inside forever. So I built a robotic bird that can be controlled remotely. I named him 'Alternis'. I use Alternis as my link to the outside world and to run any errands I may need. Having Alternis is pretty much the only thing that keeps me sane nowadays. Trust me, being cooped up in your home and having unreasonable fears can drive one mad. That is why I go out every day to observe how others live their lives. I am able to observe through Alternis' eyes and hear through his ears. I can even talk if I choose to, but I always decide against that since it would require me to explain the situation. I know it sounds like I'm some kind of stalking creep, but I really am not.

I've been living this way for the last 5 months, and life was somewhat simple. The endless drama that people portray keeps me entertained throughout the days, and while I sometime contemplate whether I should approach some of them, I quickly shut the idea down. You never know what may result from meddling with people's affairs. Plus I doubt they would understand the idea of a talking bird.

I was satisfied with this life, but when I decided to change my routine, I never thought it would end up with a sudden change of events...

Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Charlie Glyde, and this is the story of how my life drastically changed!

~...~

It happened on April 1st, 2027. As always, I was up as Alternis observing the Wright Anything Agency. Things seemed to flow like usual, but I noticed how their window was open. At first, I ignored the nagging curiosity that was inside me. It would be more trouble that its worth to get closer. But as we all know, nobody can resist the manipulative bitch named Curiosity. I flew towards the window to take a peek at what they were up to and was somewhat surprised by what I saw.

From afar, the office seemed normal enough, but up-close, it was completely different. Not only was it a huge mess, but the sheer amount of magic props could drive a fanatic insane. There were some of the traditional ones, like the box of knives and the connecting hoops, while there were a few strange ones, like a fork that's magically suspended in air while holding some spaghetti.

Phoenix Wright was nowhere to be seen, while Apollo was busy cleaning the bathroom. Trucy was sitting on the couch organizing stuff in her panties... That's right, I said Panties. It was one of her popular tricks. She would put stuff inside them and they would somehow disappear! I still couldn't figure out how she does it, but I let go of the idea every time I tried.

I could hear Apollo grumbling about how he didn't sign up as a toilet cleaner while Trucy giggled every time. Since I already crossed the line, I thought to myself _**'What could possibly go wrong?'**_ and jumped into the room. I took a peak at Trucy in case she noticed, but thankfully, she was still playing with her panties... God that sounds so wrong...

Despite the fact that I have been at this for 5 months, I never quite got the hang of walking as Alternis. Unlike Humans, bird legs are kinda short, making it difficult for me to maintain balance. And so I decided to slowly waddle around the agency. Thankfully, Alternis' feet are coated with rubber, mainly to prevent electric shocks if I stand on electric poles, but it also means that he doesn't make much noise when walking. Slowly, I made my way towards a desk in the corner of the room and jumped on top of it, and dear God the mess somehow seemed to concentrate there. Papers lying everywhere, a coffee mug half drunk was on top of it, and judging by the stains on the rim, it was at least a few days old. Really, instead of the bathroom, Apollo should clean up this desk...

Speaking of whom, I decided to take a look at the bathroom, disregarding the fact that it was incredibly weird. The door was closed so I scrapped the idea, but at that moment the door opened to show a fatigued Apollo. Then to my luck, he looked down and our eyes met. There was only one thought that ran through my mind at that moment.

_**'Oh Shit!'**_

He had a confused look on his face and that was my cue. To the best of my abilities, I waddled back towards the window, but I wasn't fast enough. Apollo bent down and caught me. I was officially screwed. I stopped moving, hoping to somehow drive him into dropping me, but just when things couldn't get worse he just had to say it...

"Trucy, is this weird bird toy yours? I've never seen him before" asked Apollo with a confused tone. Trucy turned her attention towards me, and it was one of the most awkward feelings I have ever felt.

"No Polly, I've never seen him either. He looks kinda cute though!" responded Trucy while giggling to herself. I found her definition of cute to be slightly off, since Alternis was based off an owl and I painted him Jet Black. How is that cute I wonder... "We should keep him!"

That made me widen my eyes, and I gave up trying to pretend to be a toy, so I wiggled as hard as I could in hopes of making Apollo drop me, but alas that was futile. Apollo had an iron grip despite his appearance. As I wiggled, Alternis' right wing kept hitting Apollo's bracelet so a bunch of Klinks and Klanks were echoing in the agency.

Apollo was clearly annoyed, so he told Trucy to get something to put me in. "Ooh I have a bird cage I never use, let's put him in that!" suggested Trucy as she dug around the giant cluster of props. That statement made me wiggle even harder. If Alternis is captured, I'm doomed. Apollo refused to let go, so I had no choice but to bite him. He yelped in pain and loosened his grip enough for me to fly away. I was so close to the exit, but Trucy was faster. She ran to the window and closed it shut. I could barely slow down and I bumped into the window with a loud 'Thump'. Trucy then picked me up and placed me in the evil confinements of the cage. That was it...

Game Over...

I couldn't resist myself, and got myself into even greater trouble when I instinctively yelled "GODDAMNIT!" before clamping my mouth shut and looking at the horrified looks on their faces.

As if on cue, they both screamed: "IT TALKS!" in unison, and I couldn't help smacking my head on my desk.

That my friends is how I was turned into a caged bird, both figuratively and literally...

~...~

**_Author's Note: I enjoyed writing this quite a lot!_**

**_I'm a big fan of Bravely Default, so I based the robotic owl after the Dark Knight Alternis Dim._**

**_Now that Charlie's only link to the world has been captured, what will he do to get Alternis back?_**

**_Tune in Next time!_**

**_Please feel free to review and/or Follow and Favourite!_**

**_-Dark Murcielago_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: The Bargain**_

_**Author's Note: Hello again! I hope you guys liked the idea and enjoyed the first chapter. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this one as well.**_

_**Just for the record, Charlie will be communicating as Alternis for the majority of the story. However, there will be a few times when he will personally interact. **_

_**Just wanted to make that clear.**_

_**~...~**_

_**To Guest: It was purely on whim. The idea actually revolved the final case, but more on that later.**_

_**~...~**_

_**Disclaimer: If I owned Ace Attorney, Franziska would at least make an appearance in every episode.**_

...

There I was facing two shocked people and pondering on what my next move would be. Things couldn't get any worse than they already are no matter how much the universe tried. Alternis has been captured by Apollo and Trucy, and there was nothing I could do. I was hoping they would simply dismiss it as a figment of their imagination, but apparently, the world hates me.

Regaining his composure, Apollo turned to Trucy and said: "I wasn't dreaming right? He really did talk didn't he?" and all Trucy could do was nod slowly.

_**'Oh God... I'm screwed... I should have equipped Alternis with a saw or something.'**_

Trucy looked at Apollo and said with a worried tone: "What should we do now? That thing is NOT normal..." as she pointed at Alternis with shock. This was exactly why I kept my distance. Alternis was not something I could easily replace, so no matter what I have to get him back. Since they already figured it out, I decided to just give in and resort to the most obvious solution:

"How about you let me out of this cage?" I said and had to cover my ears as Apollo's screeching voice roared again.

"IT TALKED AGAIN!"

Even Trucy blocked her ears...

I couldn't stop myself from releasing a strangely long sigh. This just sucks. I had 'Wing-Palmed' right there and then and said: "Now that we have established that fact, how about you let me out?" Hoping they would understand and just let me go.

Trucy and Apollo contemplated the idea for a while, giving each other sceptical looks. But then Apollo spoke up: "What if you attack us? How do we know you won't harm us?" I looked at my monitor with great disbelief. How was a freaking owl supposed to harm them? At best he would simply scratch them with talons or Bitch Slap them with his wings, but it doesn't count as 'Harm'. But I needed to get Alternis back no matter what, so I promised him I would stand on the desk and not move. They hesitated for a moment, but eventually Apollo came closer and began to open the cage, but not without saying "I got my eyes on you, Bird!"

I paddled out of the cage and flew on top of the desk like I promised. The window was closed so I didn't exactly have a way to run. Apollo and Trucy seemed to relax a bit when they saw that I merely stood there. Trucy then asked the excruciatingly obvious question: "Um... What exactly ARE you?"

Sighing again, I began thinking of a way to answer the question as vaguely as I could, so I responded with the simplest answer I could think of: "I'm a robot that talks. Let's just leave it at that for the time being." However, they remained unconvinced. Apollo then said it was best to lock Alternis in the cage again, which alerted my instincts. It simply would not do to be trapped again after finally escaping. "Wait! Please don't do that! I came in by accident, just open the window and I'll be on my way."Apollo looked even more suspicious now. A talking, robotic owl must have clearly spooked him. Trucy was slightly less afraid of Alternis than he Apollo, but she still kept her distance. I don't do well in such situations so I was at a loss of things to say. I was so lost thought that I didn't notice that Apollo had already grabbed Alternis and tossed him back I'm the cage. "Goddamnit Apollo! Why can't you just let me go?" I yelled and was rewarded with a shocked look.

"H-how do you know my name?" asked Apollo, now absolutely terrified.

_**'Oh Crap!'**_ I thought as I realised that technically I never met them in person, so I was not supposed to know their names. _**'Think Fast Think Fast... I Got It!'**_

"I saw one of your trials, so naturally I would know who you are!"

_**'Great, now I sound like a stalker...'**_

I was praying that it would satisfy him, and I let a sigh of relief when he mouthed an 'Oh'. But then he said the one thing I didn't want to hear:

"Sorry, but we're not done with you yet."

_**'Well Shit...'**_ I thought as I realised there's no way out. Why wasn't I satisfied with just observing from a distance? I just HAD to enter that Godforsaken window didn't I? Curiosity is such a bitch. Apollo then picked up the cage and placed it on top of the desk. And then he said: "When Mr. Wright gets back, he'll decide what to do."

And now, my fate is in the hands of the pianist.

Just. _**Fucking.**_ Great!

And so there I was, waiting for Phoenix Wright to get back, while Apollo and Trucy got over their surprise and went back to their duties. I decided to just wait it out and see what will happen, so I left my computer and got a can of soda to drink as I lifelessly watched Apollo scrub the toilet. Well, as much as I could without getting distracted. Trucy was polishing Mr. Hat, my personal favourite. It was the one trick that I never quite understood, since it was a mystery how she could fit him under her outfit. I heard that she once used him to prolong a trial, but those were probably rumours.

After what seemed like an eternity, Phoenix Wright finally returned. He was clad in his laid-back hobo outfit, with a beanie that was engraved with the words 'Papa' on it. I was starting to get worried, since I had no clue what his decision would be, so before the other two could start talking, I frantically yelled: "MR WRIGHT! HELP THEY WON'T LET ME LEAVE!"

Well... that certainly had the opposite effect I had intended...

Just like the other two, he yelled in shock, "IT TALKS?"

I was starting to get kinda irked. This was like the 5th time I've been asked that, so I snapped back: "I'm a fucking owl that talks, could you _**please**_ stop making me repeat myself?!"

Wright was even more confused. He gave the other two a look that demanded an explanation. Trucy went ahead and explained the situation. "Well apparently, he snuck in here when we weren't paying attention. I guess he was taking a look around because Apollo found him poking through your files. The owl then tried to escape, but Apollo wouldn't let go of him, and then we put him inside that cage."

Still confused, Wright scratched his neck and had a pondering look on his face. I took this as a chance to persuade him. "Mr. Wright, Apollo is being mean to me. He said that he'll get you to decide what to do with me. But that's not really fair is it?"

"Is he now?" said Mr. Wright while laughing sheepishly. "Give me a good reason to let you go."

"If you keep me, I can sue you for theft." I said defiantly, hoping this would lead me somewhere.

Mr. Wright merely snorted and said: "And I can sue you for Breaking and Entering. What's your point?"

Damn it he was right... I was the one who trespassed first. Feeling defeated, I sighed and said: "Fine, you win. But, would you still let me go?"

Mr. Wright looked pensive as he held his hand on his chin, probably thinking what my fate was gonna be. If I had more parts, I could just build a new Alternis, but that was currently not an option. "Fine, I'll let you go"

Feeling relief, I yelled "Oh Thank God!" but it was soon replaced by disbelief.

"On one condition."

I looked at my screen with a 'Are you fucking kidding me?' sort of look. He has a condition... this did not sound good at all.

"You'll have to work here as our errand boy...bird...thing..."

I couldn't believe the guy... "You can't be serious... You realise I could just run away and not come back right?" Apollo and Trucy seemed to agree as they were giving him weird looks too.

Mr. Wright simply smirked and said "I know you won't. You've been standing outside the agency everyday for quite some time now, so I know you'll be back."

It didn't really sound as though I had a choice in the matter, and I hated how right he was. Even if I left, I would come back. It's part of my routine... "Fine... you've got yourself a deal. But don't expect me to work much. I am just a robot after all."

Mr. Wright smirked again and then opened the cage. I then flew out of it and landed on the couch. There was an awkward silence for a short while, until Apollo decided to break the silence. "Mr. Wright, are you sure we should let him work here?"

"You worry too much Apollo. Just trust me on this one" he began before facing me and said: "Now then, do you have a name?

"... My name is Alternis"

That day marked my debut as a member of the Wright Anything Agency... and it was also the first time I've interacted with other people since The Incident.

~...~

_**Author's Note: Twice in a day? That is definitely a record!**_

_**The more I write the more I realise just how weird this idea is...**_

_**I hope you guys like it.**_

_**Please feel free to review and/or Follow and Favourite.**_

_**Stay Tuned!**_

_**-Dark Murcielago**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3: Typical Days at the Agency**_

_**Author's Note: Hi again! I was gonna split this into two chapters, but I thought why? So here, a longer chapter than usual!**_

_**~..~**_

_**To Guest (Are you the same one?): Here is a simplified summary of the plot: Charlie is too scared to leave his house, the reason why will be revealed later. But since this fear took a hold of him when he was 19 years old, he's still used to going outside. And so as a solution, he built a robot named Alternis that allows him to go outside, while still remaining in the relative safety of his home. He's been observing how others live for a while from a distance without ever interacting with them, but then the events of the last chapter occur, and he is now obligated to deal with people. **_

_**Hope that clarifies things for everyone who still doesn't understand the plot!**_

_**~..~**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney!**_

~..~

After finally getting Alternis back, I was able to slightly relax for a bit. Mr. Wright didn't exactly specify what my duties are gonna be, but how bad can it be? I just hoped that this stupid deal isn't gonna come back to bite me later on. I also thought that it might be a good idea to change Alternis' design into something a bit more practical now that I know how easily he can be captured, but all the stress from today's events exhausted me, so I decided to think more on it some other time.

The next day, I woke up earlier than usual as per Mr. Wright's instructions. Since I wasn't personally gonna go to the office, I just brought my breakfast to my computer table and got to work. I booted up Alternis' Navigation Program and positioned him on the edge of my window. Then I got to work and soared high up in the air.

Due to the circumstances, I had to skip all of my previous stops and made my way directly to the Wright Anything Agency. It was just like yesterday, except today Mr. Wright was actually there. I entered the agency through the window and landed on the couch, facing him.

Mr. Wright noticed my arrival and greeted me with a simple Good Morning, to which I replied likewise. "So... what do you want me to do?" I asked, to which he replied saying we should wait for the others to get here. And so there I was, waiting in awkward silence for Apollo and Trucy to get here. I could already tell I was gonna regret this.

Not long after, the other two finally arrived. Greetings were exchanged, and Mr. Wright then began talking. "I'm gonna be out of the country for a couple of days, so for the time being, I'm gonna leave Apollo in charge."

"But, where are you going Daddy?" asked Trucy innocently, not aware of the surprised look I was giving her. I would have never guessed she was his daughter. I mean, they look nothing alike!

Mr. Wright laughed his signature laugh and said: "I've got some stuff to take care of in Europe, but don't worry it's only gonna be for a couple of days. So until then, Apollo will handle everything here."

Just great... Apollo, the one person that still thinks I'm out to get him, is in charge... For all I know, he'll probably toss me in that cage again. But there really was nothing I could do, so I just kept quiet.

"As for you Alternis, just go tag along with one of them every now and then." said Mr. Wright. I was now a babysitter... "Oh and Apollo, you're not allowed to trap him again, you got it?"

I gave Apollo a death glare, while he simply gave us a sheepish look. Mr. Wright then bid us farewell, and he left, probably to catch his flight or something, leaving the three of us there in silence. It took some time, but Trucy decided to break the silence. "So what do you guys wanna do?" I remained silent, not really caring at this point. Apollo informed her that he already has plans for today and that he needed to get going, leaving me alone with Trucy. I Wing-Palmed, then Trucy asked me if I wanted to go with her to meet a friend of hers. Not really having anything better to do, I tagged along like Mr. Wright said I should, so I climbed on top of her shoulder and we left the agency.

We arrived at this place called 'Nine-Tails Vale', a Japanese themed village. I've never been to this part of town so it piqued my interest. We went to this place called Yokai Lane first. It was horrifying. The sheer amount of people there made me hold on to Trucy even more than normal. I feared that Alternis might fall and get lost in the crowd, or somebody simply taking him away. I took a good look around the place. It was basically like a market sort of place, with many people buying groceries and stuff like that. I'm guessing this was one of those traditional villages. Trucy herself looked slightly annoyed as she tries to push through the massive waves of people.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we reached our destination: Kyubi Manor. It was marvellous. The manor itself was a traditional Japanese themed mansion, with two Kyubi Statues near the front door. The garden was huge, with many types of trees and bushes growing around. There were also two buffet tables, but they were filled with empty plates and wine bottles. There was a little, gloomy girl cleaning said tables. Apparently, she is Trucy friend, since as soon as we saw her Trucy called her.

"Hey Jinxie!"

The girl, now known as Jinxie, couldn't have been older than 15. She had a maid's apron on top of what I assumed to be some kind of yukata. But what had my full interest were the pieces of paper she had on her forehead. They had something I couldn't read with a paw on it. She held her tray close to her chest as she came closer and greeted Trucy. I was going to pretend I was a toy to avoid yesterday's fiasco, but Trucy destroyed that option. "Go on Alternis, say hi!" suggested Trucy innocently, to which I let out a small sigh. This girl never learns, but I had a feeling that even if I kept quiet, she wasn't gonna give up, so I decided to just give in.

"Hello..." I said hesitantly, and my fears were confirmed.

Jinxie looked about 20 times more horrified than how Apollo and Trucy were. She was speechless. Trucy looked slightly worried at her friend. I face-palmed as I stared at her face through my monitor. Jinxie then did something I never expected. She took out a bunch of those papers on her forehead, took one and practically slammed it onto my face. The sheer shock from her sudden move caused me to fall off Trucy's shoulder and fall to the ground.

"Birds don't talk; you must be one of Tenma Taro's minions! Be gone!" yelled Jinxie as she prepared to stick another one of those things on Alternis. It took me a while to realise what the hell just happened, but just before she could stick another one, I regained my composure, and flew up back towards Trucy. "Trucy, he's a Yokai! Get away from her you monster!"

She just wouldn't give up; I needed to dodge her attempts for half an hour. "Trucy this is your fault. DO SOMETHING!" I yelled as I continued to escape that crazed girl. Trucy tried to explain, but Jinxie refused to listen. So I just flew to the top of the trees, hoping she would let it go, but all she did was glare at me.

"Don't worry Jinxie, he's not a monster. He's a robot!" explained Trucy cheerfully, to no avail of course. Jinxie did seem to calm down for a split-second but her fear came back shortly after.

"I don't get you people. I'm pretty sure robots are designed to speak you know." I pointed out with slight irritation. Their so called fear and surprise was highly irrational. In my 20 years of life, I have seen many robots able to talk, so I don't quite get what the big deal is.

That seemed to do the trick, as Jinxie called me 'Demon Robot' instead. If it'll stop here from putting these weird papers on me, then I can live with that. I landed on Trucy's shoulder yet again, and while she didn't attempt to harm me, Jinxie still looked at me with wariness. The girls then began chatting amongst themselves, buy I tuned them out. I began admiring the surroundings since I've never been here before. This place is like nature central! I mean aside from the village buildings, most of the area is filled with greenery. I wanted to go around and explore, but I decided against it since not only do I not know the area well, but I have never been this far, so I don't know if the signal would still reach despite the distance.

After a while, Jinxie excused herself, saying she needed to get back to work. This meant we were probably going back to the agency. Trucy got up, said her goodbyes and we left the manor's garden. We went back to that accursed Yokai Line again, but thankfully, the crowed was slightly less that it was before. I didn't realise it, but we must have spent a long time there, since it was almost 3 PM. Trucy then told me it was time to get to the Wonder Bar, as it was almost time for her job to begin.

It took us a while to get there, and its location made me question Trucy's choice of work. The Wonder Bar was located in a somewhat deserted area that was quite a distance from the agency. It looked like any normal bar, and it even had stage. I guess Trucy performs here or something. I told her I would watch her show from the top of the actual bar, and she told me that she planned for me to be her assistant.

"You realise that not only am I a bird, but I also have no experience with magic?" I told her with disbelief lacing my tone.

She giggled and said: "No silly, I just want you to help me with props and all that. Remember, Daddy told you that your job is to help us!"

"I'm pretty sure he just said to keep an eye on you." I responded in a matter-of-fact kind of way. I tried to reason with her that it was a bad idea, but she wouldn't budge. So I decided to humour her and agree to her plan. "But I officially declare myself not responsible for anything that might happen, got it?"

Since there was little I could do at the moment, Trucy began preparing the stage for the performance. She then went over our cues and what props I should get her. Luckily, they were all pretty light stuff, since she pretty much keeps most of them in her Panties...

And that still sounds extraordinarily wrong...

Finally, at around 7, customers began flooding the bar. I still don't quite get why a bar would need a magic show, but I guess I'll never know. Trucy seemed to be very popular here, since despite the fact this was a bar, there were actually some kids here with their parents. Good for her I guess...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Trucy Wright's Special Magic Extravaganza! Tonight, we have a special guest with us. Give it up for the Dark Owl, Alternis!"

I took that as my cue, as I descended from the top of the bar and onto Trucy's arm, trying to mimic a normal owl's actions as much as I could. The crowd roared in applause as flapped my wings a little bit. The performance went quite smoothly, and I had to admit it was kinda awesome when the crowd cheered us on. I guess that's one of the perks of working in Showbiz. Trucy ended her performance with her my personal favourite, Mr. Hat. I even landed on his hand and he raised it up high! It was a memorable moment, even if technically I wasn't the one getting raised.

After the end of her performance, we headed back to the agency to find a tired looking Apollo laid out on the couch. I left Trucy's shoulder and stood on top of the said couch. I needed to rest my hands from having controlled Alternis all day. See, I designed Alternis' Navigation System to work as though one is controlling a 1st person video game character, so I had integrated a Joystick into the program. Not bad if I do say so myself.

Apollo noticed our arrival and turned to us with a sleepy look on his face: "Welcome back... *yaaaawn*" before falling back on the couch.

"Wow Apollo... you look like crap..." I nonchalantly pointed out, to which Trucy giggled and ask him what happened.

"Prosecutor Gavin happened... I had a theft trial today that was supposed to go smoothly since the defendant was clearly not guilty, but he just had to go and come up with evidence that not even the defendant himself knew he had left. It was both physically and mentally tiring to get him a not guilty verdict after all the things he did to make himself even more suspicious..." explained Apollo with apparent irritation.

I had heard of this Prosecutor Gavin. He was supposedly Apollo's rival or something since in almost all of his trials; the prosecution has always been Klavier Gavin. I should've tagged along with him, since while today has been interesting; a trial definitely trumps everything else. I decided that I would go with him tomorrow instead of Trucy, disregarding the fact he's still wary of me.

Alternis came back, and I started thinking of a new design for him. Of course, flight was necessary, but I needed to give him a boost in size. I began drawing up the blueprints for Alternis 2.0 and came up with the perfect design. So I placed an order for all the parts I needed, plus some defence equipment as well. You'd be surprised what people offer on the internet...

I then went to bed, thinking of what might happen tomorrow.

~...~

Well, that should teach me not to get my hopes up...

The Agency was empty...

Trucy and Apollo were nowhere to be seen, and it didn't seem like they were gonna come anytime soon, leaving me all alone in the midst of the mess. There wasn't much I could do so I flew on top of the desk facing the door, and left my monitor to tweak my blueprints.

After a couple of hours, Apollo decided to show up, and was surprised to see Alternis staring blankly at the door. I quickly got back to the monitor and said: "Well... It took you long enough..."

Apollo looked apologetic and simply muttered an almost inaudible 'Sorry'. "Trucy's not here yet?"

"No, I've been waiting for hours for one of you to show up." I said indifferently, having lost interest in the conversation.

He simply sat down at his own desk on the other side, and started organizing it. It was messy, but Mr. Wright's was even worse. Trucy finally showed up sometime later, saying she overslept. Apollo then told her to keep an eye on the agency as he had something to do. Instantly, I was on high alert.

Not even waiting for his approval, I flew all the way across the office and landed on his shoulder. He was more than likely going to another trial, and this was not something I wanted to miss. Apollo gave me a questioning look before asking the obvious. "You wanna come with?"

I looked at my screen with my best WTF look, and casually said: "No, I enjoy resting on shoulders... Of course I'm coming with you..." before putting my hand on my mouth. If this had happened face-to-face, I would have ended up staring at him, too nervous to utter a word. Amazing what technology can do nowadays...

And so we left the agency, and I was so eager to witness a proper trial. So you can definitely imagine my disappointment when we ended up at a coffee shop instead. Apollo was meeting a friend of his instead of doing what he was supposed to: Lawyer-ing and shit. I don't think I'll ever understand the point of human relations in all honesty, since they seem to be more trouble than they're worth.

Apollo's friend came by a few minutes after we reached. Judging by their greeting, it was glaringly obvious that they knew each other for a really long time. He had Jet Black hair that rivalled Alternis' paint job and he wore some kind of captain's hat. The sheer force of his smile was to be reckoned with. I hoped Apollo wouldn't do what Trucy did with Jinxie, but really why I even bother trying to understand them...

"'Pollo... what's with the owl?" he asked, clearly confused by Alternis. I sighed as I could already predict how this conversation was gonna play out...

Apollo looked bothered, clearly not knowing how to explain why a bird was sitting nonchalantly on his shoulder. "Um... how should I put this? We found him in the Agency, so my boss hired him for no good reason." said Apollo, while flashing his famous sheepish smile.

Surprisingly, the guy took it pretty well. He just nodded and began examining the menu. I couldn't comprehend his unusual reaction. So far everybody screamed bloody murder every time they saw me. I decided to test out a theory that was forming in the back of my head.

Raising my left wing, I cleared my throat and said: "Hi there... I'm Alternis."

I expected the clichéd 'IT TALKS?!' moment but all he did was smile at me and said: "Hi Alternis, I'm Clay Terran. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice...To meet you...too." I managed to let out before falling into deep thought. This was not what I had in mind. I couldn't stop myself from involuntarily saying: "You don't sound surprised..."

Clay simply laughed for a bit before saying: "Don't worry; I've been around robots for a very long time, so it no longer surprises me"

_**'Well that explains a lot...' **_

"Apollo here should learn from you... You should have seen how scared he was!" I said, while subconsciously laughing. I had to do a double take ay that. It wasn't like me to even say stuff like that, let alone laugh at my own joke...

Clay laughed out loud, saying "I can totally picture that", leaving a fidgeting Apollo with a slight blush across his face. It was actually kinda cute if you think about it...

So that whole outing turned out to be shockingly pleasant... I basically spent it talking with them both about different topics. I could tell both he and Apollo sensed the conflicting feelings I had at the time, but I guess they chose to dismiss them. It has been quite a while since I've had a proper conversation with another human being. It was... refreshing to say the least. From what I could piece together, Clay and Apollo met in Junior High when Apollo tried to comfort Clay, who had just lost his mother. It was adorable to say the least. I could feel that their bond was strong and almost indestructible.

The day ended on a happy note as Apollo and I parted ways with Clay. On our way back, I felt as though Apollo finally lost the wariness he was feeling. I guess I could count that as an accomplishment of sorts, but it was just a matter of time. Look at Trucy, she pretty much lost all of her suspicions in less than a day. But then again, that girl was way too trusting...

Anyway, things were kinda similar when we reached the Agency. Trucy must have returned from the Wonder Bar, as she was waiting for us to get back. She said how we should all go out to eat, but she quickly realised what she said.

"Oh right... What do you eat Alternis? A can of oil? Some scrap metal?" asked Trucy, as serious as one can be asking such a thing.

I Wing-Palmed again and said: "No Trucy... I don't... You guys go ahead, I'll see you tomorrow..." and with that I flew off of Apollo's shoulder and returned back home.

When Alternis landed inside, I decided to do something I never thought I would. I accessed his Database and found the recording of today's events. Normally, I would just allow tomorrow's events overwrite the previous ones, but today was... different. I saved my chat with Clay and Apollo onto my hard drive for safe keeping.

I didn't want to jinx it but I couldn't help my last thought of the day...

_**'Maybe there is some hope after all...'**_

~...~

_**Author's Note: That's that I guess. I needed some way to introduce Clay before 'The Cosmic Turnabout', since he is one of the main characters of the story, and the fact that he will have a great impact on Charlie.**_

_**Tune in next time and feel free to leave a review, especially if you didn't understand something!**_

_**-Dark Murcielago**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4: Life Just Loves Malfunctions!**_

_**Author's Note: Hi again! I don't really have much to say so... Enjoy!**_

_**~...~**_

_**To Cross-Fusion X: Thanks I guess... You'll find that out in this chapter!**_

_**~...~**_

_**A Special Thanks to this story's first followers: Cross Fusion X and Cocoa Quack! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney. **_

~...~

Much to my surprise, the next couple of days went by smoothly. I wanted my supplies to arrive as fast as they could, but since I couldn't speed up time, I decided to just kill it with either Trucy or Apollo, and on some occasions, Clay as well. Trucy's day was pretty normal, she would either go out somewhere in the morning or meet with somebody and then later, she would stop at The Wonder Bar for her performance.

Apollo's days, however, were slightly more interesting. While most of the time he just stayed at the office or went out with Clay, there were days where he actually did his job. The cases were almost always murder, but there were few that involved larceny and assault.

Prosecutor Gavin always made it difficult for us to get the Not Guilty verdict, but for some reason he was never really dissatisfied with it. The two of them were supposedly on opposite sides, but they got along surprisingly well. I couldn't help but ask them if they were a couple. It was interesting to say the least. Prosecutor Gavin simply laughed it off saying his heart 'is on reserved for Frauleins ' whatever that meant, while all Apollo could pull off was profuse blushing.

_**'He so has a crush on him...'**_

The Judge was the most gullible man I have ever seen. He definitely proves that wisdom does not necessarily come with age. However, true to the rumours, he always hands down the right verdict. We had a pretty hard time convincing him that I'm not a spying device used to evaluate judges. Even now, he gives me weird looks every time I'm in the courtroom. Apollo's voice seemed to mysteriously gain a power boost in court. I can't tell you how much soda I've spilt all over my computer every time he yells 'Objection'. And then he has the nerve to give me a confused look every time I yell afterwards.

~...~

April 10, 2027.

Mr. Wright finally came back from his trip to Europe. Apparently, he went to meet an acquaintance of his. He also told us that said acquaintance will be coming to join the agency soon. When I asked him what his reason was, he simply smirked and said: "She excels in analytical psychology. I believe that is what's going to be the light that will drive away this dark age of the law."

Confused, I tilted my head and said: "Dark Age of the Law?"

Apollo was the one that answered. "Nowadays, there are many attorneys who are interested in nothing but results. Prosecutors creating fake witnesses and defence attorneys forging evidence. These things became very common and that led to people losing faith in the legal system. Hence, the Dark Age of the Law was born."

"Oh... I had no idea..."

"Anyways, I just wanted to let you guys know of her arrival." said Mr. Wright with a smile plastered on his face. The rest of us simply nodded and went about our normal routines.

Finding nothing better to do, I landed on the Apollo's desk then got off the monitor to put more thought into Alternis 2.0. I had decided to keep his owl form, but build him a bigger body to reside in, that way I could toggle between the owl and the other body. I just needed to think of an animal that wouldn't attract a lot of attention if he were to be seen walking outside. I had already narrowed down my choices to 3: A dog, a cat, and a bear. These seemed to be the least suspicious, and with the proper colouring, should completely blend in with the crowd.

Feeling completely indecisive, I decided to just get another opinion. "Hey Trucy, pick one of the following: A Dog, A Cat, or A Bear."

Trucy looked completely confused at the severe randomness of the question. I motioned to her to just go with the flow and answer. "Um... I dunno... I guess I would pick a cuddly teddy bear!" said Trucy, smiling with her hands behind her back.

_**'Predictable but ok...'**_

"Apollo your turn."

"Cat... Definitely a cat." he responded almost immediately. I then turned towards Mr. Wright and he understood that his answer was needed as well.

"I'm not really into pets, but if I had to pick I'd pick the bear." he said with slight indifference. That pretty much sealed the deal.

"Well then... Bear it is..." I said monotonously as I went back to finalise the blueprints. The parts were expected to arrive tomorrow, so now that design was official, the building process was scheduled to happen soon.

"Dare I ask what the point is?" said Apollo with his signature look of disbelief.

I sighed and then said: "You could, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll answer."

Apollo looked kinda annoyed while the Wrights starting laughing. Things were going pretty well today.

~...~

April 11, 2027.

Alternis' new parts finally arrived!

As always, the delivery guy left them at the store downstairs and my landlord, who by the way is called Jake Anderson, pushed the supplies through the mail slot I had installed next to my door. Jake was a pretty cool guy, in all honesty. As long as I pay rent on time, he doesn't really care what I do in the privacy of my home.

The first thing I did was send the usual Alternis to the Agency, informing them that I wouldn't be able to come in for the day. Mr. Wright didn't really object to the idea, and neither did he press the matter further. I also remembered that I had a meeting with Clay and Apollo that day, but since the parts came in I couldn't exactly go, so I told Apollo I couldn't tag along.

I then flew back and finally opened the long awaited package. Saying that I was shocked would most probably have been the understatement of the century. Not only were the parts unusually larger than what I had ordered, but they were PINK... can you imagine? PINK! What kind of a bear is freaking pink?! And the stupid store has a strict no refund or exchange policy, so I was stuck with this monstrosity. It looks as though Alternis 2.0 is gonna be a Trucy-sized pink bear. Just great...

Deciding to just go with it, I began assembling the parts. It took me quite some time to finish them since I sometimes sighed, groaned, or flat out yelled every time I took out a pink bear part. I wouldn't have been surprised if they included a white dress to go with his sparkly pink eyes...

_**'Boy! I can't wait to get to the Agency tomorrow...'**_

If only I still had some of Alternis' previous paint...

The bear was complete, and it was time for the Owl compartment. It wasn't that hard to make since his belly was already empty to begin with, so all I did was add a platform for Owl Alternis. I then worked on his Navigation system, but I wasn't particularly comfortable with it, since the size was bigger than it should have been.

I didn't realise how much time has passed until I saw the sunset. At that moment, a thought occurred to me. It was kinda like a backup plan in case of a malfunction. Once I had finished attaching it, I decided to just hit the hay, as it has been a long day.

~...~

April 12, 2027.

It was time for a test run.

I placed Alternis on the other side of my usually blocked pet door and began to work. Controls were pretty similar to his owl form, except for the fact that he has arms instead of wings. I walked down the stairs and into the store. Mr. Anderson gave the pink bear a look of disbelief then he just shook his head and went back to reading his newspaper.

Now for the moment of truth. I slowly raised my arm up to the door handle and tried to pull it down. It took a few tries to get the grabbing controls right, but I eventually got the door to open. Thankfully, there weren't many people around this early in the morning. There were just the usual kids walking to school, or accountants going to work. Slowly, I made my way to the agency. Being the first time I went there by foot, I didn't exactly remember the way there. Needless to say, that bit me in the ass faster than I expected. I walked and walked, making a turn here and a turn there and the agency was nowhere to be found. It should have been easy since I live in the same neighbourhood. I found The Hickfield Clinic after a while, which meant I was getting close. However, since life's a bitch, something terrible always happens.

Suddenly, Alternis stopped walking and he even stopped responding to my commands. I wasn't sure whether it was the distance, or if the goddamned parts were starting to glitch. Then, out of nowhere, he started moving his left arm around unexpectedly and his legs began to shake as he crouched. Naturally, that coupled with his popping pink colour attracted some unwanted attention.

People from the street began crowding around Alternis, and they began whispering amongst themselves. Some of them even had the audacity to take pictures of the now ruined bear. And after that, the icing on the cake arrived.

"Look mommy! That pink-y bear wants to pee!" said some random child in the background, whose mother scolded him as soon as he said that. Finally, Alternis let out. He went into total paralysis, and just when I was about to let his Owl form out, he fell on his freaking belly, thereby preventing Owl Alternis from emerging. Miraculously, however, his head was still functional, so I was still able to use his sense organs. Not that it made much of a difference.

That was it... Alternis was lost yet again...

It was my fault for even using those parts. They were of the wrong size and colour. That alone should have made me realise that the chances of them being faulty were higher than the drug addict next door.

Just when I had given up all lost hope, somebody picked me up, mumbled something I couldn't hear, and began walking. Having a small hunch on where this was going, I simply observed as the guy continued to walk. Unfortunately, for some reason, he hugged me the same way one would hug a teddy bear, despite my unusual size, making my view limited to his chest. Not that I was complaining of course...

Finally we reached our destination and my thoughts were confirmed. We were now at the one place that could save mw from all this crap. The Wright Anything Agency. The man took the elevator up to the agency's office, and knocked on the door. And the person that answered was our dear Apollo.

"Wha- Clay? What're you doing here?!" said Apollo in surprise that I soon mimicked.

_**'Wait... WHAT?'**_ I thought in shock. Clay works at some space centre, so I really didn't get why he was in the neighbourhood.

"Hi 'Pollo! I found this thing lying on the street and since it belongs to you, I thought I'd return it!" said Clay as he turned me around and pointed me towards Apollo, thereby clearing my view again. It seemed as though the Wrights were out somewhere, as Apollo was the only person inside the Agency.

Naturally, Apollo looked really confused; since this was the first time he saw the now epically failed Alternis 2.0. "Are you sure? I don't remember us ever having this thing. And I'm pretty sure Trucy doesn't use pink bears that are almost bigger than she is..." said Apollo questioningly.

"But it says so right on the back..." said Clay before turning me back around to show Apollo my insurance.

_**'Property of the Wright Anything Agency. **_

_**If Found lying around, please return as soon as possible**_

_**P.S No seriously, just pick it up and take it back. It is not gonna be the death of you...**_

_**P.S.S Shame on you if you have chosen to ignore this!'**_

Apollo looked even more confused. Since there was no hope in him ever figuring it out, I prepared my most emotionless voice I had and said:

"It's me Alternis... You clueless morons..."

Needless to say, I wanted to destroy both of them as they both fell on the floor, laughing their asses off. However, I settled for the next best thing, a beak attack from Owl Alternis. And so, with the belly now open, I switched controllers and flew out of the compartment. They were slightly shocked by the sudden appearance of the owl, but they were soon groaning in pain as I landed on their heads and pecked the living daylights out of them. After stopping their infuriating laughter, I went ahead and explained the situation, since they were most likely to ask me about it eventually.

"I wanted to upgrade Alt- I mean myself in order to avoid getting caught like last time, but the parts I ordered were not only bigger and horrendously pink, but they were incredibly glitchy too. I was making my way here as a test run, but I got lost and then I started malfunctioning. I guess that was when Clay read the note on the back, so thank you Clay, I owe you one..." I said before settling on the couch and sighed a rather long sigh. Clay merely smiled and told me not to mention it. He then excused himself saying he needed to get back to work, so we bid him farewell. Apollo took another look at the pink bear and staring laughing again. I couldn't help but smack my head on my desk and groan loudly...

_**'I swear to God, I am suing those bitches...'**_

~...~

_**Author's Note: You didn't really think the upgrade would go smoothly did you? **_

_**I think I'm gonna start on with The Monstrous Turnabout next chapter, so keep that in mind I guess.**_

_**Feel Free to Review, Follow, and Favourite!**_

_**Until Next Time!**_

_**-Dark Murcielago**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5: Do You Believe in Monsters?**_

_**Author's Note: Hey guys! We have finally begun the main storyline. However, I couldn't resist the urge to add one of my favourite characters, so I included one final event before the case!**_

_**I'm still not sure who I should pair him up with, but it is a tie between Apollo and Clay. But I'm sure I'll settle on one as I progress with the story.**_

_**~...~**_

_**To Cross Fusion X: I'm not sure whether that is a compliment or an insult to be honest...**_

_**~...~**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney.**_

_**~...~**_

April 16, 2027.

After calling Electrix, the company that pretty much screwed me over, and complaining for 4 hours about the Pink Monstrosity, and issuing a few threats that may or may not have involved the words "sue" and "shoot", they sent me the proper parts, along with an apology and a $200 gift card.

Alternis 2.0 was finally a success. He was now the size of any normal teddy bear, and was coloured white, the opposite of Owl Alternis. He had small black button eyes and, as to not have a naked bear walking around, wore a tuxedo, which completely disregarded the fact that he was, in reality, a robot and nit an actual bear. The major, and only, difference from his Pink counterpart was that I had installed the Owl Compartment to open from his back instead. I figured that the likelihood of him galling face first was higher than him falling on his back, but then again, one can never truly know what might happen. And finally, the note I placed before saying to return him to the agency has been redesigned to act like a tag of sorts. As we have previously witnessed, it was more or less effective.

If he weren't made of metal, Trucy would have squished him a little every time she squeezed the crap outta him. Mr. Wright looked a bit surprised by the upgrade, but made no comment about it. Apollo, having witnessed The Pink Monstrosity, kept teasing me about it, even though the first thing I did when I went back to the agency was send it to the junk yard to be destroyed. Clay, on the other hand, told me the upgrade was perfect and that I would totally blend in with the other robots back at his workplace. Something told me that wasn't entirely true...

Speaking of whom, I decided to pay Clay a visit at his workplace, The Cosmos Space Centre. I didn't really have anything better to do, and Clay did tell me I was welcome to visit a few times, so I though why the hell not?

The Cosmos Space Centre was split into three sections, a space museum, a rocket launch site, and a connecting dome in between with many floors. Civilians were, naturally, only allowed access to the museum. Besides, the door to the launch site was protected with a fingerprint scanner. The museum mainly depicted the events of the launch of a previous rocket named HAT-1. The things on display were quite diverse, ranging from photographs and newspaper articles to astronaut suits and employee jackets.

The thing I loved most about this place was how nobody gave me a second glance. See, the space centre features a robotics lab, and it has a few robots running around. Still, you'd think a small white bear wearing a tuxedo would gain at least a few looks. I was almost tempted to sneak into the lab, but I knew that it would only end badly.

As I exited the museum, I walked around the boarding lounge in hopes of finding Clay. He didn't exactly mention where he worked, so I had to figure it out for myself. But this place was effin HUGE. It may look like a normal dome from the outside, but it has around 6 floors, each with its own set of rooms and corridors.

Surprisingly, as though the universe has something against me, I wound up in the Robotics Lab despite the fact I tried to avoid it. But boy am I glad I did! This place was like a haven for all robot enthusiasts like me! Not just because of the giant assembly table that totally screamed 'I'm Awesome', but also for the over-abundance of parts lying around... I even considered taking some back!

While I was busy drooling over my find, I failed to notice the presence of another person in the room. It was only when they cleared their throat that I turned around and met their eyes. It was a woman with strange purple hair that was tied in some kind of knot. Also, for one reason or another wore a blue, butterfly shaped visor. Her outfit was like the love child of a lab coat and a crap load of leather. She looked at me with both interest and annoyance. Not gonna lie, she scared me and she scared me BIG TIME...

"And what're you supposed to be?" she said scornfully as she analysed me from top to bottom, and leaned on top of what I assumed to be another robot.

"I...uh...umm... I was just..." I began but I couldn't speak properly. This lady was intimidating.

She smirked and took out what looked like a hybrid of a gun and a syringe. "I don't remember ever making you" she began as she came closer, with me reeling back with every step she took "Interesting design... I suppose you wouldn't mind if I took you apart, would you?"

_**'That's it...'**_ I thought before bolting as fast as I could.

I ran to the best of my bear-bot capabilities, but Scary Science Lady was fast herself, with her robot partner not far behind. I stopped looking for directions and simply ran as though my life depended on it, which to some extent it did. I just needed to get away from that woman. Something told me she wasn't kidding about the whole dismantling thing...

_**'Blend in perfectly my ass...' **_I thought as I remembered Clay's words...

"You can't run for long!" she yelled and when I turned to look, I saw that she injected her robot with whatever was in the syringe-gun. Suddenly, he bolted and got some kind of power surge, as his speed increased exponentially. That crazy bitch must've done injected some kind of robot-drug... if that makes any sense at all.

'Oh God... I'm screwed... AGAIN!'

To my surprise and great relief, the effects of the boost lasted a mere minute, as he soon returned back to normal. If only she gave up as well...

Just when all hope was gonna be lost, I saw him... The guy who indirectly started this whole mess: Clay Terran. He was chatting with some red haired guy near the entrance to the launch pad. I was so desperate for safety that I didn't care what happened next, and so I ran as fast as I could and then tackled him to ground and refused to let go.

"CLAAAAAAY! I'm so glad to see you!" I said with tears threatening to fall any minutes (figuratively of course).

Clay looked insanely confused by the fact that he was basically rammed by an unknown object, but after recognizing me he smiled and said: "Alternis! How did you get here?"

"Never mind that... You have to help me!" I said as I hid behind him when Robot Woman and her robot arrived. She still retained her smirk, but when she saw me hide behind Clay, she snapped her tongue and looked slightly annoyed.

"You know this would have been so much easier if you just stayed still for five seconds..." she said, annoyance clearly lacing her voice.

I held onto Clay even harder than before. He must've sensed my distress, as he got up and looked at the woman while the other guy said: "Ms. Blackquill, to what do we owe the honour? It's not often we see you outside your lab..."

'Ms. Blackquill' gave the guy a death glare that may as well have drilled a hole in his head, making him take a rather loud gulp. She pointed at me and said: "Hand him over...Now!"

"No! You stay away from me!" I yelled, surprising the three of them. I was almost positive Clay's leg would develop bruises, if not break, from all the squeezing I've been doing.

"Well you heard him, Ms. Blackquill. I think you should just let it go." said the other guy.

With a loud 'Tch', she motioned for her robot to follow her, but not before saying: "This isn't over yet..." I couldn't help but letting the biggest sigh of relief I could muster.

I then turned to Clay and punched him as hard as the robotic body could. He crouched down, clutching his stomach in pain. "This... is... YOUR fault..." I said before angrily storming out, not giving him a chance to understand.

I left the Cosmos Space Centre and went back to the agency. I was furious, probably for not a very good reason, but furious nonetheless. It seemed that everywhere I go; something threatens to take Alternis away from me. Like it's the universe's way of telling mw to man up and walk out that accursed door. If only it were that simple...

The day was really quiet at the agency. It was practically free time, seeing as how Mr. Wright was on the couch catching Zs, while Apollo was cleaning the toilet yet again. Trucy was nowhere to be seen, probably on her way to the Wonder Bar.

Sometimes I really wonder how the Agency is still standing, seeing as how we barely make any money...

I wasn't really in the mood to deal with other people, so I excused myself and went home. I decided to just spend the rest of my day cuddled up in my king sized bed. After a while, my body gave in and I went into a deep slumber, unaware of the events awaiting me the next day...

~...~

April 17, 2027

Today began on an unusual note.

For some reason, I wasn't in a good mood, so I was gonna take the day off, but for the first time ever, Mr. Wright specifically asked me to come to the Agency. I didn't want to go, but he insisted, saying it was of the utmost importance. Not really having much of a choice, I decided to just go and see what he wanted.

When I got to the agency, I was slightly annoyed to find that Trucy was the only one there. "Trucy... where is your father?" I said, miserably failing to hide the annoyance in my tone.

She looked a little bit surprises by my appearance, but answered nonetheless. "Um... Daddy went to the airport to meet somebody he knows"

"Great... He forces me to come here but then he disappears..." I said with unusual anger lacing my voice and sat down on the couch. I let go of the controller and held my face in my hands in an attempt to calm down.

Trucy looked a bit shocked but didn't press any further. A short while later, Apollo came by. Apparently, he was also called in by Mr. Wright. "Hey Trucy, where's Mr. Wright? He said he had a job for me."

"Oh goodie... Join the club... He's not here..." I said before taking a deep breath. I just wanted to go back to cuddling my fluffy pillows. Was that so much to ask for? Trucy then looked at Apollo and told him what she told me. He looked a bit down, probably thinking he has to clean the toilets again.

"Actually, Daddy asked you guys to come with me to visit a friend!" said Trucy, with her signature cheery voice. It was all oh so frustrating.

So that was how the three of us went on a trip together. As soon as I saw our destination, I knew things were not gonna go well today. My guess was confirmed when we ended up on Yokai Lane. Things were somehow a lot livelier than the last time I was here. Apparently, Nine-Tails Vale was holding some festival to go with the recent Yokai craze. We heads to the manor and met somebody I didn't really want to meet right now: Jinxie Tenma. This girl is so obsessed with Yokai that she keeps a crapload of warding charms with her, and slaps them onto any suspicious looking thing.

"Hi Jinxie!" yelled Trucy as we approached Jinxie. This was all like some bad Déjà Vu or something...

"Oh Trucy..." said Jinxie as she turned her attention to us. Yup, definitely a Déjà Vu. She took a single glance at Apollo and she then screamed bloody murder. Apollo tried to say hello, but in midst of his introduction, Jinxie did what she did to me and stuck a charm on Apollo's more than spacious forehead. He looked even more surprised than I was!

"What the-?!" yelled Apollo in surprise, while I just laughed at how Karma's a bitch.

"That's what you get for making fun of Pink Me..." I taunted "This is too good hahah- ack!" Karma proved to really be a bitch, because Jinxie Charm-Slapped me as well, causing me to fall.

"DEMONS! STAY BACK!" yeller Jinxie, and Apollo began laughing in the background.

This was turning into a really bad dream...

Apollo tries to reason with her by showing her his attorney's badge and telling how he was a lawyer, but all she did was start calling him Demon Lawyer instead. I didn't even bother trying to explain, so I just stood there with the charm on my head. Supposedly, a really powerful demon was locked up in the manor's fox chamber and has been there for years.

"This is the only known depiction of Tenma Taro." said Jinxie, as she handed Apollo a small scroll. It showed a strange crow/man hybrid battling a nine tailed fox. "You can keep it if you want."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, that same crow/man hybrid arrived and tried to attack a terrified Jinxie. As though these things happened on a daily basis. This is when things got a bit weird. A Fox/man hybrid yelled from on top of the manor for Tenma Taro to stop, and then jumped all the way down in front of him.

"Look! It's The Amazing Nine Tails!" yelled some guy in the background. Great, as if we needed more weirdos around here...

After battling it out, The Amazing Nine Tails won and chased Tenma Taro away. He then said his farewell and left the scene. Trucy, Apollo, and I looked at the whole situations with a single thought in our minds...

'What the _**HELL**_ just happened?'

Jinxie excused herself, and the three of us decided to go ahead and explore the place. Something I wanted to do for quite some time...

~...~

When we came back, shit pretty much got as real as it possibly could...

There was this really huge commotion in the area. Jinxie came to us and told us some shocking news: Tenma Taro has committed murder... That single sentence made me start feeling sick to my stomach. Murder and Blood bring back a lot of highly unwanted memories.

Apollo asked her where the murder happened, and she told him it happened in the fox chamber. Just as he was about to run there, she put on a warding charm on him, saying it will keep Tenma Taro away. Trucy and I stayed behind for very different reasons. She stayed to try and comfort Jinxie who was scared to death, while I just don't do well in crime scenes where there's practically blood everywhere.

A little while later some ambulances came and took a man with them, and the place became flooded with cops. Apollo came to us and explained what he saw. Jinxie then decided to fill us in on what was going on.

"The man that got stabbed was my boss, the Alderman of the manor, Rex Kyubi" said Jinxie, while I involuntarily flinched in my chair, "You saw the man who was with him? That's my father, the mayor of Tenma Town."

Something didn't sound right about that so I said: "Wait... if your father is the mayor of the other town, why are you working here?"

Jinxie held her tray closer before saying: "My mom was from here, and those flowers over there remind me of her. They're called the Nine-Tailed flowers. They help calm me down."

'This place really needs to get some naming guides...'

The prime suspect for this case was her dad, Mayor Tenma. The cops think it was a simple case, but Jinxie insisted that when the warding charm was taking from the sealing chamber, Tenma Taro escaped and attacked the Alderman. Trucy asked Apollo to help Jinxie's dad since he was basically the only family she has left. Our dear kind-hearted Apollo couldn't refuse after she put it like that, and that was how he agreed to defending the guy and I agreed to tag along and help him out...

So we made our way to the detention centre.

~...~

Although Trucy warned us that he was intimidating, Mayor Tenma turned out to be a guy who was just easily excited. Every 5 seconds, he would threaten to bust out of jail to go be with his Jinxie, but Apollo calmed him down by telling him to wait for his acquittal. We then got to business.

"Mayor Tenma...um... do you know why you were arrested?" I asked hesitantly, still not that good at dealing with people I just met.

"Apparently, my fingerprints were on the murder weapon. That was decisive enough for my arrest, and they also claim I had a motive." said the mayor, surprisingly calm for a guy in his situation.

Apollo and I tilted our heads as we said in unison: "Motive?"

He explained how he wanted for a merger to happen between both villages, but for some reason, the Alderman was strongly against it. The cops think he killed him to facilitate the merger.

"All right then, we'll be back if we have some more questions." said Apollo before he and I got up to leave. However before we could, Mayor Tenma asked us a favour. He said that because he was now here, Jinxie was all alone, so he asked us to look out for her, to which Apollo promised he would.

As we left the detention centre, I asked Apollo where we were going, to which he replied that it was time to investigate the crime scene. Before I could retort, however, he got a phone call from Mr. Wright.

"What did he say?" I asked curiously.

Apollo gave me a look of disbelief and said: "Remember that girl that was supposed to join us? Well today was her arrival date and as soon as she heard that we were on a case, she ran to help us before Mr. Wright could stop us. Come one, we're gonna meet her in the village"

_**'Great... yet another person I gotta deal with...'**_

~...~

_**Author's note: Welp, here we are! We will finally meet Athena in the next chapter!**_

_**On a side note, Have you guys heard of the new Ace Attorney game that's gonna be released? Supposedly, it will be set in the past. I truly wonder how that'll turn out...**_

_**As usual, please feel free to review and/or follow and favourite!**_

_**Until Next Time!**_

_**-Dark Murcielago**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6: Weird and Weirder**_

_**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! I had my orientation this week, so I didn't have the time to write as much! **_

_**This is gonna be my first attempt at writing a trial so bear with me alright?**_

_**For Future reference, here is how my font is going to be:**_

Regular Font: Most of the story and Dialogues

_Light Italic: For Testimonies_

**Bold: For Court Exclamations and Testimony Titles**

_**Bold Italic: Charlie/Alternis' thoughts, plus the words 'Witness Testimony' and 'Cross Examination', and of course the Author Notes.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney!**_

~...~

You know how humans aren't really meant to fly? Well apparently there's one girl that doesn't quite get that.

Apollo and I headed towards Yokai Lane to meet this new girl joining the agency, but all we found were two people arguing, a girl and a cop.

"I'm telling you I'm a lawyer!" yelled mystery girl, clearly furious.

"Aren't you a bit young? Why don't you run along to school now?" said the cop, somehow not in the mood to deal with this crap.

Apollo and I simply stood there watching in complete amazement as these events unfolded. The girl even tried flashing her Attorney's Badge, but the cop simply said that she stole it from someplace. That, apparently, was the last straw. Just as the cop placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, she practically grabbed his arm, flipped him and threw him away...in our direction...

I ran away as soon as I could comprehend what the hell just happened, while Apollo just stood there. When he finally noticed, he tried running away, but was too late as the cop came crashing on him. Needless to say, I laughed my ass off...

After apologizing profusely to the guy, yellow girl turned to Apollo. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!"

Apollo was still reeling from that sudden attack, so I took the liberty of asking the obvious. "Are you the psychologist girl Mr. Wright told us about?" I asked, with the contradicting feelings of both amusement and disinterest.

She thought for a little bit then nodded eagerly and said: "Yes! That's Me! My name is Athena Cykes! Nice to meetcha!"

"Uhuh... I'm Alternis and this is..." I started and pointed towards Apollo and I had a devious idea, "my butler, Apollo Justice"

Apollo gave me an annoyed look and yelled "LIKE HELL I AM!"

"Be glad I called you my butler and not my very own personal bitch..." I said jokingly. My mind was a giant mess already, so I didn't give a damn about what I said or did.

The worst case scenario is damage to Alternis' body, which I can just repair. And if Bear Alternis is taken, I can always just switch to his Owl Form instead.

After explaining the real situation to a giggling Athena, she proceeded to show us a newspaper she managed to swipe from somewhere. It depicted this Tenma Taro flying in the air. Apparently, this was 'proof' he existed.

_**'Who even believes such obvious bullshit?'**_

Well apparently, all of Nine Tails Vale...

Athena was quiet peculiar in my opinion. For starters, she dressed like a walking lemon. But that wasn't what caught my attention. It was that necklace she had around her neck. It was like a small smiley face, but it was incredibly familiar. Like I've seen it somewhere, and quite recently too. While I was too busy thinking about that, the two misfits decided to go investigate the crime scene, the one thing I've been dreading all this time.

When we entered Kyubi Manor, I noticed how the insides matched the outside in extravagance. Clearly the alderman wasn't afraid to spend money on his home. We met somebody, the caretaker of the house, Phineas Filch or something. He was quite sneaky, and yet Apollo was ever so oblivious.

Filch bumped into Apollo and at the same time he apologized, he somehow stole Apollo's bracelet. Athena caught this instantly. "Hey you sneaky little-! Give him back his bracelet!" she yelled as she held her hand out. Our dear Apollo looked genuinely shocked, as though he didn't see it coming. The Caretaker apologized while returning the bracelet, and then not so subtly ran away.

Apollo and Athena seemed incredibly confused, while I just shook my head at the absurdity of the situation. The Attorneys then started heading towards the crime scene, but they then notices how I refused to move.

Athena gave me a worried glance and said with a slightly energetic tone: "Alternis come on! We're going to investigate the crime scene!"

"..."

I remained silent, and then they seemed to figure it out.

"Don't tell me you're scared?" said Apollo jokingly, unaware of the death glares I sent towards my screen.

"As a matter of fact, _**I am**_!" I yelled, shocking both of them, "This may be a shock to you, but not all of us enjoy playing with blood and dead bodies!"

Before either of them could retort, I stormed out, saying I'll investigate something else. I'm sure I've said this already, but massive amounts of blood make me queasy and bring back memories I worked hard to forget, so I avoid it whenever I can.

~...~

There weren't many things I could investigate outside of the crime scene, so I settled on asking about that weird news article Athena showed us. Well... that was easier said than done.

Asking the villagers yielded one of two outcomes: The first was that they ran away screaming at the strange, tuxedo wearing, talking bear. This was the more common one. The second was pretending as though I didn't even ask it. I'm not even kidding. I even tried repeating the question or rephrasing it, but all I was met with was utter silence.

This was getting me nowhere, so I decided to change my strategy. I decided to confirm Mayor Tenma's supposed Motive, The Alleged Forced Merger. And of course, all that line of questioning had received was even more bullshit. More than half of the people I asked told me that Mayor Tenma wanted to take over Nine Tails Vale so that he can release Tenma Taro.

One thought ran through my mind the whole time...

_**'There is a limit to how much bullshit I can tolerate...'**_

It seemed as though I wasted my time even more than I already had. I decided to go back to the manor and just wait for the attorneys to finish their investigation.

~...~

A while later, Apollo and Athena came back down, clearly surprised to see me there. Apollo looked as though he didn't know how to approach me, so Athena did it for him.

"Hey! So what did you find out?" asked Athena, subtly trying to relieve the awkwardness of the situation.

I pretended as though nothing was wrong and answered: "Well, the more I tried to ask, the more crazy this situation became. First of all, nobody so much as acknowledged my existence when I asked about Tenma Taro, and some of them ran crying like babies..." I let out a deep sigh before continuing "and when I tried to ask about the Mayor's motive, I was greeted with nothing but useless fantasies. They think he was forcing the merger so he can unleash Tenma Taro... What a bunch of bullshit! And? What about you?"

Athena then gave me a brief summary of their findings. I was glad I stayed behind as, from the sound of it; the crime scene was bloodier than I had imagined. They found all sorts of stuff in there, ranging from bloody cloths, to mysterious fur-like things. It was revolting to say the least. She also told me about the detective in charge. Bobby Fulbright was his name. He was quiet the idiot apparently, seeing how Athena was practically bragging about how easy it was to trick him into allowing them to investigate.

"But the main issue is that the only one who could have done it was Mayor Tenma. He was the only one without an alibi!" said Athena, worry clearly lacing her tone.

"So it would seem..." I said, my mind focusing on the other attorney avoiding eye contact with me. "What do you think, Apollo?" I asked, ignoring the tension that had already formed in the air.

"Well... I... Think we should investigate more..." he said hesitantly, not really helping with the mood. I merely rolled my eyes.

Suddenly, Filch started yelling about a disaster, and when we went to check it out, I saw a bunch of villagers gathering what looked like a fox mask of sorts. Apparently, that was The Amazing Nine Tails' wrestling mask. The villagers became worried that something may have happened to him. Athena then concluded that the bit of fur they found in the crime scene may very well be part of this mask, meaning that it could have been in the crime scene earlier!

"Oh ya!" began Athena, "Mr. Filch, where were you at the time of the murder?"

"Well... I... I was here with Mr. L'Belle in the caretaker's office. I didn't see anybody go in or out!" answered Filch, failing at hiding his nerves.

Apollo then suggested we ask Jinxie about The Amazing Nine Tails.

Jinxie told us that there are matches where masked wrestlers attempt to remove their opponent's mask, which is considered to be the ultimate humiliation. It was even worse than death itself.

"Well, can you tell us about what you saw?" asked Apollo, noticing how hesitant she was about answering.

"I'm not really allowed to say this but... I saw Tenma Taro! He ran past me after I called the police, and he was holding a jingling rod..." said Jinxie, somewhat afraid. I couldn't help the skeptical look forming on my face. Apollo pointed out that in the scroll she gave us; Tenma Taro didn't actually have a rod, so something must be wrong.

"Well, why couldn't you say that?" asked Athena, to which Jinxie responded saying some 'Mr. L'Belle' told her not to say what she saw.

"He said that according to the village laws, if you talk about Tenma Taro after you have seen him, he will come and steal your soul!" she said, holding her tray close to her chest.

I was pretty sure the three of us had the exact same thought at the moment, but I was the one to voice it: "Ok, I'm pretty sure somebody named L'Belle shouldn't even know of these superstitions..."

Apollo nodded, backing it up by saying how L'Belle wasn't even FROM Nine Tails Vale. Jinxie said L'Belle should be in the foyer, so we decided to go pay him a visit.

When we arrived at the manor, Apollo's ability to notice the most trivial details made him pick up a TV guide that was in the caretaker's office. There was a scheduled match that was circled in red.

Filch arrived out of nowhere yet again and told us that the match was a complete catastrophe. Not that any of us really cared...

"Mr. Filch, Jinxie claimed to have seen Tenma Taro run to the foyer. What do you have to say about that?" asked Apollo.

Just as Filch was about to answer, an infuriatingly annoying voice silences him.

"Filchy! That's ENOUGH of that!"

We turned towards the source of the voice to find a man in his 30s clad in a purple suit. He had blond hair and a crap load of make-up on his face. Also, his shoulder pads had yellow objects sticking out. And finally, he had a rose stuck in his pocket.

This annoying man was the infamous Florent L'Belle.

I avoided speech as much as I could, no matter how much he annoyed me. Apollo took the lead on the interrogation, beginning with the most glaring issue.

"Mr. L'Belle, why did you tell Jinxie not to talk about Tenma Taro?"

L'Belle was incredibly irritating; every word he said was like a wave of venomous, condescending vapours. "Oh MY! I just WANTED to tell her of THE village's traditions. I was ONLY looking after her!" said L'Belle, not before spraying Apollo with cologne from his flower, which turned out to secretly be a bottle of perfume.

Moving on, L'Belle claimed exactly what Filch did: That they were both in the caretaker's office and that they didn't see Tenma Taro. It was all oh so very suspicious if you ask me, I'd believe a monster fanatic over a condescending bitch any day...

It was clear as day that L'Belle was not only lying as though his life depended on it, but he was also manipulating Filch. Unfortunately, there was no way to prove this, so I remained silent.

Apollo then suggested we do one last thing before the trial: ask the mayor about those rumours surrounding him.

_**'The Tenma Taro Crap again... ugh...'**_

~...~

Despite the fact that I really didn't want to go, we arrives at the detention center. I figured as though they had things under control, so I left my control screen and went to get a bite to eat. That also reminded me I needed to shop for supplies soon...

When I got back, I arrived at the most opportune moment. Apollo was rubbing his bracelet while giving the mayor a skeptical look. He explained that whenever somebody is lying, his bracelet constricts, thereby alerting him and allowing him to view the person's 'Nervous Habit'.

"I call bullshit..." I involuntarily said, earning me giggles from Athena and a glare from Apollo.

"I'll prove it!"

Apollo started concentrating on Mayor Tenma as he began repeating his claim. When the mayor started mentioning tourism, Apollo literally screamed "GOTCHA!" as he pointed at the Mayor's eye.

"Mayor Tenma... did you know you have a certain habit when you lie?" began Apollo, "Your right eye began twitching!"

Mayor Tenma looked surprised and demanded an explanation.

"To put it simply, you lied! You didn't pursue the merger for the sake of tourism, since Nine Tails Vale was practically deserted until the arrival of The Amazing Nine Tails! There was simply no touristic profit to be made! Mayor Tenma, what was your real reason for wanting this merger?" said Apollo, a not so subtle hint of pride lacing his voice.

I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what he was aiming for. "Alright FINE! I take it back; your stupid bracelet power thingy is not total bull..." I said with indifference, since I still think it was pure luck he noticed the eye twitch.

Mayor Tenma gave in and finally told us the real reason: Blackmail. Apparently, somebody was threatening to kill Jinxie if he did not pursue the merger. As if things weren't already complicated.

This case just got weirder than ever. Not only do we not have proof of the mayor's innocence, but the only possible suspects are the mayor and Tenma Taro. Like that's gonna pass in a court of law...

I just knew that we were utterly screwed.

We decided to call it a day and go back to the agency. Trucy was there, but Mr. Wright was nowhere to be seen. We took a small break from all that running around, practically chasing people for information. I swear, lawyer-work was more trouble than it's worth...

To my surprise, Apollo approached me out of nowhere. "Um...hey" he began hesitantly, to which I simply stared at him "About today, when I teased you about the whole crime scene thing, I just wanted to-"

"It's fine. I'm over it" I interrupted, not really knowing how to react. "If you think about it, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I mean, I never did tell you that I get sick around blood, so you couldn't have known."

Apollo looked surprised, but quickly gave me one of his signature smiles. The kind that just cheers you up for no reason. "Alright then! Glad we got that out of the way! Let's do our best tomorrow!"

Athena jumped in and yelled: "Don't forget about me!" and then her necklace said: "Let's do this!"

_**'Now I remember! It has the same face as the robot that was with the Crazy Robot Lady!'**_

She probably got it from there...

We all parted ways, and returned home for some much needed rest.

~...~

April 18, 2027

There we were, waiting in the defendant lobby. I was actually kinda excited since, for the first time ever, I actually have an idea of what the case is about. Usually I just tag along to any random trial and just stand there trying to make sense of what happened.

Athena, on the other hand, was shaking like a leaf. Apparently this was her very first trial, so her nerves were killing her.

"Athena... are you ok?" I asked hesitantly as I tapped her arm.

She practically jumped and screamed "I'M OK!" then calmed down slightly. "ALTERNIS! Don't scare me like that!"

"Excuse me? YOU'RE the one who's about to have a nervous breakdown id you don't calm the hell down!" I snapped back with equal ferocity. "I don't see why you're nervous, considering the fact that you're not the team leader..."

Apollo then decided to step in and calm us down. "Athena, before every trial, I perform my Chords of Steel exercises to help calm me down!"

"Or as I like to call them: 'The Fastest Way to Rupture nearby Eardrums'" I said, involuntarily out loud. Apollo looked offended for a split second, but he got over it quick.

His 'Chords of Steel' routine was just a fancy name for him yelling as loud as he could, saying that he's fine...

"I'M APOLLO JUSTICE AND I AM FINE!"

Ya kinda like that...

He then motioned for Athena to do the same, with varying degrees of success. "I'm... Athena Cykes and I am fine..." said, more like whispered, Athena. However, this was not the way of The Chords.

"Not like that... It has to be so loud; you can break glass with it!" I pointed out, immensely amused by the whole situation.

Athena took a deep breath and yelled: "I'M ATHENA CYKES AND I AM FINE!" but she then put her hand on her mouth, clearly embarrassed.

Apollo congratulated her and she then asked him where he learned to do such a thing. "Back in junior high, a friend and I used to cheer each other up by telling the other that they're fine. It still helps even now"

Touching story, but like I heard it three times already, so the effect wasn't as great as the first time. Apollo then had a small chat with the mayor, trying to obtain any last information.

To our surprise, Mr. Wright came in the lobby wearing a blue suit. This came as a shock to us, since he was usually dressed like a drunken hobo.

"It sure is nice to see you out of your hobo clothes, Mr. Wright!" I said, half-mockingly and half-sincerely. "Dare I ask why?"

Mr. Wright shrugged and said: "I'm thinking of re-taking the bar exam."

"Why now, boss?" asked Athena.

"I have a feeling that I'm gonna be needed back in court soon..." answered Mr. Wright, unable to be vaguer if he tried.

"The Bar Exam huh..." I said forlornly, earning me a triple set of confused looks. The bailiff then arrived to tell us that it was time for the trial, so before anybody could comment, I made my way to the courtroom, unaware of what I shall face.

~...~

The courtroom was slightly more crowded than usual, and the prosecution was nowhere to be seen.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Damian Tenma" declared the Judge.

"Defence Team Leader Apollo Justice is ready, Your Honour!"

"Defence Team Assistant Athena Cykes is ready, Your Honour!"

"..."

The two misfits and the Judge were staring at me, awaiting my own announcement.

I sighed, knowing there was no way around this.

"Defence Team...um... Well I have no clue what my role is so... I'm ready, Your Honour!"

"Very well, and what about the prosecution?" he said, and we all turned our attention towards the prosecution's empty side.

Before we could utter a word, the bailiff beat us to it and said that the prosecutor is being escorted as we speak. I wasn't quite sure what he meant until he actually arrived. He was clad in black, and his hair was just as dark, except for the strange splotch of white on part of his hair. What shocked me most was the fact he had handcuffs on him. It looked as though the rumours were true. This guy was a prison inmate...

That was the day I met Simon Blackquill...

He was famous for his 'Powers of Suggestion'. Just like Athena, he utilised psychology in court, and it was evident during his interaction with the judge. When the judge asked for the opening statement, Blackquill argued that he wasn't obligated to do that, and somehow manipulated the judge into doing it.

"Well then... The defendant Damian Tenma is charged with the murder of Rex Kyubi, the alderman of Kyubi manor. Based on the investigation, there wasn't anybody else that could have done it, as he was the only one with the opportunity. In addition, his fingerprints were on the murder weapon."

For the first time ever, I was completely focused on a single human being. Like seriously, I practically stared at Blackquill for a really long time. And apparently, I wasn't the only one. While not as much, Athena glared at him a lot, mainly every time he shutdown her impulsive Objections. Apollo was the lead attorney, so even if I didn't pay attention he had it under control.

Or so I thought...

The first witness was the lead detective, Bobby Fulbright. He had an infuriating obsession with Justice, as he practically ended all of his sentences by taking out his badge and yelling "IN JUSTICE WE TRUST!"

I stayed silent, since this was Athena and Apollo's area, as I refused to enter the crime scene. Detective Fulbright gave a summary of the incident.

_**Witness Testimony**_

**-Case Summary-**

_The crime took place in the fox chamber of Kyubi manor._

_The only people present during the time of the murder were the victim and the defendant._

_Also, the autopsy report shows that there were traces of drugs in the victim._

_After being stabbed, the victim woke up..._

_...and hit the defendant with a statue of the Nine Tails and Tenma Taro._

...

Detective Fulbright then submitted the Autopsy Report to the court.

"Mr. Justice, you may now begin your cross-examination!" said the judge to a nodding Apollo.

_**Cross-Examination**_

**-Case Summary-**

_...and hit the defendant with a statue of the Nine Tails and Tenma Taro._

**"Objection!"** yelled Apollo before smirking, "Detective Fulbright! You can't say that for sure!"

A quizzical looking Detective tilted his head and said: "I'm sorry?"

"According to the tests performed on the statue, there were no fingerprints on it! This means you can't say for sure that the Alderman hit the mayor with it!"

Makes sense I suppose, but of course, it is the prosecution's sworn duty to make our lives a living hell...

**"Objection!"** yelled Blackquill, "Justice-dono, you are quiet narrow-minded..." he then took out a piece of green, bloodied cloth "Take a look at this. The Alderman most likely covered the statue with it before hitting the defendant! After all, we did find the defendant's blood on it!"

_**'Justice-dono? Pretty sure we're not in some Japanese movie...'**_

It didn't really make sense to me, so I saw no harm in what I did next, even if, technically, I was not a lawyer yet...

**"Objection!"**

I yelled as loud as I could, earning the surprised looks of everybody in the courtroom.

_**'Always wanted to say that!'**_

I smacked my arms on the stand just like Apollo always does and said: "The guy was freaking IMPALED by a spear! I seriously doubt he would have the strength to hit anybody, much less take the time to cover the statue with a cloth..."

"Yes... That defence raises a good point!" said the judge, filling me with a smug kinda feeling, which of course was soon destroyed by our beloved samurai...

**"Objection!"** responded Blackquill, "Do you have any proof, Bear-dono?"

"Ok first off, it's Alternis," I began, clearly irritated "and second of all, I beg your pardon?"

"Hmph... fine 'Alternis-dono', do you have evidence to back up your claim?" said Blackquill with that irritating smirk of his.

"Well...no but-" I began but was quickly silenced by Blackquill smacking his hands on his stand.

"Evidence is everything! You are indirectly claiming that the blood on the cloth was the result of another injury, but if you can't prove it, then it is merely a pointless possibility!" retorted Blackquill, as calm as ever.

"Wha-" I began but was cut off by the judge.

"That is true... While your argument does make sense, it is still just a possibility. You need to be able to prove it."

_**'WHY THAT SNEAKY LITTLE-'**_

**"Objection!"**

I yelled, my anger reaching the top, "Fine then! The true killer could have struck the mayor using the-"

**"Silence!"** retorted Blackquill "I repeat... Evidence is everything! Unless you can prove it, then it remains a mere possibility!"

"ARGH!" I groaned in defeat, knowing that we still don't have that kind of evidence yet. Surprisingly, Apollo placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Alternis, I know you're trying to help, but calm down! We won't accomplish anything by blindly objecting to everything!" said Apollo while smiling a reassuring smile.

I let out a huge sigh before speaking again: "You're right... Sorry, but I need to cool off for a bit... I'm gonna go tear something apart..." and before they could ask anything, I turned off Alternis.

I then jumped on my bed and let out a big scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! THAT BLASTED GOODDAMNED IDIOT!"

I guess I now know the frustrations of being a defence attorney... They never taught us that at school...

~...~

After what seemed to be ages, but was actually just 20 mins, I had finally calmed down. I decided to just keep my mouth shut to prevent future frustrations.

I rebooted Alternis to find a scene that was quite different from before. Detective Fulbright was gone and in his place was the caretaker, something Filch. He was brought to the stand to testify, but it looked as though it wasn't the first testimony he gives.

"Very well then. Witness, please testify about how you could have know if Tenma Taro was there despite watching the match!" demanded the Judge... well more like politely requested. I don't think the Judge can ever be forceful...

"I never thought that TV Guide would actually prove to be useful..." I said out loud, attracting the attention of the others.

"Alternis you're back!" said Athena with happiness clearly evident in her voice.

"... Ya I guess... I promise I won't object unless I know I can back it up!" I said while raising my arm up. I could notice Blackquill eyeing me from afar, but what surprised me was the fact that there was a fucking HAWK on his shoulder. "Athena... please tell me that is NOT a hawk on his shoulder..."

Giggling, Athena explained that his name was 'Taka' and he was Blackquill's partner. But then she flat out burst out laughing when I cautiously ducked under the stand.

Well then moving on...

_**Witness Testimony**_

**-My Great Hearing-**

_It's true that I was fixated on the match._

_After all, I still have my trusty ears._

_So I would have definitely noticed if Tenma Taro passed by._

_So trust me when I say that nobody passed by._

...

_**'And the award for vaguest testimony goes to!'**_

Apollo seemed to share my thoughts, since he said that he needed to press in order to obtain more info.

...

_**Cross Examination**_

**-My Great Hearing-**

So I would have definitely noticed if Tenma Taro passed by.

**"Hold it!"** interrupted Apollo, "What do you mean?"

Filch tilted his head and said: "Well, Tenma Taro has that staff right? The one that makes noise, so I would have heard it if he passed by."

_**'That's what Jinxie said as well, is it not?'**_

"Witness! That is an important piece of information! Please added it to your testimony!" asked the Judge.

...

_Tenma taro carries a jingly staff, so I would have noticed if he passed by._

Apollo looked puzzled, not sure whether to press further or to object. Athena and I looked equally clueless. But then I remembered something that seemed trivial at the time. "Jinxie said the same thing right? She said the Tenma Taro she saw had a jingly staff" I recalled, knowing that we already contradicted this before. The other two looked in deep thought, and just as I was about to suggest pressing, Apollo yelled.

**"Objection!" **

He then took out the scroll Jinxie gave us and showed it to the court. "Your Honour, this is the only known depiction of Tenma Taro."

The Judge observed and nodded, like he always does. Whether he understood anything or not is beyond me. "And what seems to be the problem?"

"Your Honour, as you can see, the Tenma Taro here isn't carrying anything! So, how I wonder would Mr. Filch have known about the staff?" began Apollo, feeling some hope, "Simple! He lied, because unless he saw Tenma Taro, there was no way he could have known about the staff!"

The courtroom broke into an uproar, and the Judge struck his gavel multiple times demanding order. "Mr. Filch! What is the meaning of this?!"

"I...uh...well" muttered Filch, before finally admitting defeat. "It's not that I wanted to lie, but the legends say that if you tell anybody you saw Tenma Taro, he will steal your soul!"

"Again with the superstitions... but this looks like the chance we need!" I declared with confidence.

Apollo seemed to agree, as he then proposed the most likely scenario. "Your Honour! By utilising the village's superstitions, the true killer could have disguised themselves as Tenma Taro in order to silence possible witnesses!"

The judge seemed to accept this, but Blackquill was beyond furious.

"Why you little Tanuki!" he yelled before angrily smacking his arms in the stand... and breaking his shackles...

_**'Yup... We're screwed!'**_

He then sent Taka to chase the caretaker away, and then the court realised that a death row inmate just broke his shackles... so you can imagine the uproar that caused...

"ORDER! I SAID ORDER! I DEMAND ORDER IN THE COURT!" yelled, more like roared, the Judge. "I think a recess is in order. Court will adjourn for a 10-minute recess."

"3..." said Blackquill

"I beg your pardon?" said the Judge, with saucer-wide eyes.

"I said 3 minutes! That's all the time we need!" answered Blackquill.

I thought the Judge would stand his ground and decline, but who am I kidding? This is the Judge we're talking about.

And that is how court took a halt for three minutes and we decided to regroup. Hopefully, things wouldn't get any worse...

~...~

_**Author's Note: By far the longest chapter I've written! I'm gonna try to maintain such a pace, but no promises! **_

_**Please leave a review, and feel free to follow/favourite!**_

_**Until Next Time!**_

_**-Dark Murcielago**_


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